A Song To Heal A Heart
by RySenkari
Summary: Dave is still feeling down about what happened between him and Sky, and seeks out Ella in hopes of starting anew with her. But when they reunite, he gets something he didn't quite expect...


It had been a month since filming ended on Total Drama: Pahkitew Island. A month since Shawn had won the million dollars with one second to spare and the fourteen contestants returned to their normal lives.

A month since Dave had lost everything. He'd lost his hair, he'd lost his chance at the million dollar prize, and worst of all, he'd lost Sky. Not that it mattered, anyway. Sky had lied to him, played him for a fool the whole time she was on the island. She'd never once bothered to tell Dave that she already had a boyfriend, that his efforts to win her heart were for absolutely nothing. Nevermind the fact that she'd intended to break up with him before leaving for Pahkitew Island. To Dave, hearing all of that meant nothing. She should have told him everything before he'd wasted all that energy and threw away his own game to protect hers... at least, those were the thoughts swirling inside Dave's head as he stood outside Ella's apartment door.

His hair had started to grow back, though he still felt empty. He'd been dreaming about Sky but those dreams had started to fade, and most of his dreams were still full of bitterness and anger. He would never, COULD never forgive Sky for betraying him and breaking his heart.

_"Ella would never do that to me..."_ Dave thought now, raising his hand to knock on Ella's door. "_I should have given her a chance back there...she was so kind to me and I completely rejected her, just like Sky rejected me. I won't make that mistake again."_

A few seconds after Dave knocked on the door, it opened. Ella was standing there, now clad in a lovely blue dress all decked out with ribbons and bows, complete with a pair of silky white gloves. Ella was looking as beautiful as ever, and when she saw Dave, her lovely lips curved into a smile that instantly warmed his heart.

"David!" Ella said with a sweet smile. "What a lovely surprise...oh, please do come in!"

"Sure," Dave replied, following Ella into the living room of the apartment. Ella's mother wasn't home at the time but the apartment was flawlessly clean, Ella spent much of her mornings doing every chore that needed to be done with the help of all the animal friends that came to her apartment at the call of her song. "This place is really nice...everything's, um...shiny."

"Oh! I'm so glad you noticed, I work so hard cleaning up this place so that my dear mother can go out and work without having to worry about doing anything around the house!" The smile never faded from Ella's face, she was clearly very happy about being able to help and she practically danced around the living room with every step. "So...what brings you here this evening, hmm?"

"Uh, well...I was wondering if maybe...the thing is, I was hoping you and me could go out?" Dave was a bit timid as he spoke, still somewhat nervous around girls after his ordeal with Sky. Ella picked up on it immediately, placing her hand on his cheek as soon as she realized something was wrong.

"Is everything all right? I saw what happened to you on the final episode and I heard you'd been mauled by a bear!" Ella's voice was lined with concern, and Dave gave a nervous laugh, remembering how he'd had to dodge killer robot animals for hours until Chris finally remembered to come pick him up.

"Not...mauled exatly, it's something I'd rather not talk about though," Dave rubbed the back of his neck nervously before looking back up at Ella. "Can we just maybe go? We can go out anywhere you want, I just want to try and forget what happened and move on."

Ella could tell that Dave was still troubled, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something on the television. The news was showing footage of practices for the Olympic trials, and in particular, footage of Olympic hopeful Sky performing on the balance beam. Dave hadn't noticed the television and by the time he glanced at the screen, the newscast had already gone to the next story. Ella looked back at Dave and could see the hurt and pain in his eyes, could tell that his mind was a swirling torrent of doubt and worry.

"David, if something is troubling you, please...you should tell me."

"No, no, I just want to go-"

"It's Sky, isn't it?" Ella asked, placing both of her hands on Dave's shoulders. "You're still troubled by her. ….you miss her."

Ella knew that this was her chance to go out with Dave, her prince, the boy of her dreams...the boy she'd loved ever since he'd placed her shoe back on her foot after falling into the water back on Pahkitew Island... but she could also see that deep within his heart, his feelings for Sky were still there, and those feelings were still clouding his mind.

"Miss Sky? She broke my heart, Ella! She stomped on it and threw it in the garbage! She let me think she really cared about me but didn't even tell me she had a boyfriend!"

"Oh yes, you were very angry when you found that out...you tried to hurt her," said Ella, a bit of a tsk-tsk quality to her voice, her smile fading.

"Well of course I did, she didn't care about MY feelings so why should I care about what happens to her?"

"That's not the way you should be, David...and besides, you didn't even listen to her when she tried to explain herself."

"What's there to listen to?" replied Dave, not expecting to have to argue with Ella on the subject of Sky. "_Maybe I shouldn't have even come here!"_

Ella just smiled warmly and turned away from Dave, walking around the room for a moment as a song began to form in her head. Seemingly out of nowhere, the room filled with song, as if some invisible orchestra had just entered the room.

_It's very very easy to be angry_

_When we don't open up our ears_

_It's easy to think your friends have turned their backs on you_

_It's easy to give in to all your fears_

Dave just watched, his mouth slightly agape as Ella's voice filled the room with a lovely melody. He stammered his reply.

"But she could have at least TOLD me-" he was silenced by Ella placing a finger on his lips and giving him a warm smile.

_Oh, my sweet prince_

_You still don't know_

_How to listen when your friends_

_Are trying to tell you so_

_Just let them explain_

_What is going on_

_When you listen to your friends_

_You can't go wrong!_

Birds were now flying in through an open window, surrounding Ella as some of them perched on her shoulders. Dave didn't believe what he was seeing and he started to back toward the door, only for a swarm of mice to rush in and nearly sweep him off his feet. Ella was there to catch him, gently supporting him in her arms for a moment before he was able to stand all the way. She kicked the door closed with her foot and continued her song as Dave began to stumble toward the couch. Ella turned on the television, which was now displaying scenes from the final episode of Pahkitew Island.

_When Sky tried to tell you that she and Keith_

_Were no longer together_

_You briefly lost your mind and tried to bury her alive_

"Yeah but she-" Dave started.

_If you'd listened then your life now might be better!_

Dave watched the television as scenes of his descent into madness played on the screen for everyone to see. He hadn't watched the airing of the actual episode, and seeing himself being so cruel to Sky, so hateful and consumed with the need for vengeance, made him feel sick to his stomach. He clutched his chest and groaned, starting to realize just how much he'd overreacted.

"Maybe...maybe I did...I did overreact just a little?"

Ella warmly smiled and took Dave's hand in hers, sitting down next to him on the couch.

_Oh my sweet prince_

_I think now you know_

_That you should have listened_

_When Sky tried to tell you so_

_If you'd let her explain_

_What was going on_

_You could have still been friends_

_Instead of doing her wrong_

"Oh man...I screwed up really bad," groaned Dave, placing his head in his hands. He'd tried to kill Sky, and he'd laughed about it! Even if he apologized, she'd never take him back, and why should she? Dave bowed his head, and a single tear slid down from his eye...only for Ella to wipe it away and offer him a tissue. "Ella... you really think Sky would forgive me? After everything that's happened?"

_I can't say for sure if you can fix your mistakes_

_Or if you can win back Sky_

_But whether she says yes or no_

_All you can do now is try!_

The music in the room began to rise to a crescendo as Ella stood up, holding Dave's hands and pulling him up from the couch. As the two stood in the middle of the room, the mice and birds circled around them, with the birds landing on Ella and Dave's shoulders as she finished her song.

_Just try to explain_

_That from now on_

_You'll listen and respect her and_

_You can't go wrong!_

The animals quickly dispersed, leaving Ella and Dave alone in the room. Dave still looked unsure of himself, and Ella felt how much his hands were shaking, so she tightened her grip on his hands and gave him a sweet smile.

"David, just go to her and tell her how you feel... I'm sure if you're honest with her and you are as sweet as you've always been to me, she'll give you another chance."

"Ella...I was never sweet to you, I mean...you liked me all that time and I didn't even notice it. I'm sorry..."

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," said Ella with a tender smile, looking right into Dave's eyes. "I promise I'm going to be just fine!"

"Thanks Ella... thanks for everything!" Dave leaned in and softly kissed Ella on the cheek before quickly walking out of the apartment, leaving Ella by herself in the living room. She gave a soft sigh, knowing that if Sky really did give Dave another chance, the two of them might never be together...that she might never have her prince.

And yet, deep in Ella's heart...she truly hoped that Dave and Sky would be happy together.

"_My prince...go to your princess...please, be happy."_

A few seconds after Dave had left, there was a knock on Ella's door. Ella answered it, only to see a very gruff looking Mr. McGillis staring down at her.

"This is the thousandth time I've told you, stop singing in here! I've got a HEADACHE!"

"Oh!" Ella squeaked sheepishly, a blush overtaking her face. "I'm truly sorry, would you like to borrow some aspirin or-"

"Just shut up!" Mr. McGillis shouted, turning and slamming the door behind him as he went back to his apartment. Ella blinked, before happily turning around and walking back to the living room. She went to turn the television back on, but stopped for a moment.

"_Maybe I should go and see if Dave's dreams really did come true..."_

O-O-O

Sky loved the feeling of the cool night breeze as she walked out of the gym where she'd been getting ready for the Olympic trials. She'd had an excellent workout and according to her coach, she'd be a shoo-in for the team if she kept performing at that level. Making the Olympics would make everything that had happened on Pahkitew Island become a distant memory. She'd fallen just short of winning the million dollars, but Olympic gold would bring her far more fortune and glory...and at the very least, she'd made at least a few new friends on the island, even if her relationship with Dave turned out to be a complete bust on every level.

As she walked alone across the parking lot of the gym, she could see someone walking toward her...and as one of the lights illuminated his face, Sky was filled with mixed emotions, fear foremost among them.

"_You gotta be kidding me!" _thought Sky as she saw Dave walking toward her. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been on Pahkitew Island trying to kill her, and now it seemed he was coming back into her life, quite possibly for revenge. Though she was more than capable of taking him down physically, she didn't want to take any chances, and pulled out a can of pepper spray, aimed right at his face. "Stay back, I'm warning you!"

Dave let out a cry of fear, thinking Sky was about to mace his eyes out. He immediately put up his hands in a defensive position, shaking his head rapidly.

"Sky...! I'm not here for revenge, I just want to talk!"

"The last time you saw me you tried to bury me in like ten feet of snow!" Sky replied, her finger still on the trigger of the pepper spray.

"Okay, okay, I deserve that but just hear me out...please...! Sky...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I freaked out at you, I overreacted-"

"That is a HUGE understatement!" Sky said, cautiously lowering the pepper spray. "What were you thinking?! At least Jasmine had sort of a legitimate reason for wanting to take us out, but you? You were always so sweet and then the second you find out I had a boyfriend, you turn into a homicidal maniac!"

Dave bowed his head sadly. Everything Sky was saying was true. Yes, she'd broken his heart, but he was the one who'd _let _his heart be broken by not even taking the time to listen to her. He'd been so obsessed with being her boyfriend that he let his emotions go completely out of control, particularly his anger.

"Sky...if you never want to see me again, I don't blame you. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for everything...and...and maybe try to ask for another chance."

Dave could barely look at Sky while those last words came out. Sky's expression began to soften, her eyes taking on a look of concern. She could sense the intense hurt in his voice and could tell that he was on the verge of tears, not just from the prospect of losing his chance to be with her, but from all the guilt about what he'd done back on Pahkitew Island.

"If you'd really gotten hurt back there, I... I could never have forgiven myself for that," said Dave, trying not to sob like the crybaby he'd been back on the island. "So...if you really want me out of your life forever-"

"I don't...I don't want you out of my life forever," said Sky softly, gently reaching over and turning Dave's head so he could look at her. "And I'm sorry too. I should have told you about Keith the second I knew you had feelings for me. I tried to hide it because...well...I was kind of using you during the game, I knew you had feelings and I just...I thought if I told you about Keith you'd try to take it out on me during the game."

Dave shook his head.

"You didn't use me, I let myself be used," said Dave, shaking his head. "And besides...if you have a boyfriend-"

"_Had _a boyfriend," Sky replied. "We really are broken up. He was cute, but...he didn't care about my Olympic career at all, he said I should stay with him instead of going off to compete in the games. He said he didn't want a long-distance relationship with me, even if it was only for the month or two I was gone."

"But Sky, your moves are incredible...!" said Dave, his face lighting up a bit. "I mean, on the island, and I'm sure you do amazing in the gym...I wish I could have seen you practicing today. ...I mean...if you'd let me."

"It was a closed practice," she replied, smiling sheepishly. "But the trials are coming up in a couple months and they're open to the public!"

"Well unless you take out a restraining order against me for trying to kill you back on Pahkitew Island," said Dave, bowing his head and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I forgive you."

Dave lifted his head to look at Sky, who gently took one of his hands in both of hers.

"That show...kind of brings out the crazy in everyone anyway," said Sky, starting to blush. "I blame that stupid jerk Chris! I wanted to throttle him for showing that audition tape!"

"Yeah, I can't believe anyone could be that mean," Dave replied, chuckling for a moment. Sky began to laugh along with him, and the two smiled at each other, the bad memories of the island starting to fade away. "So anyway...Sky...I'm really sorry. About everything. Can we just...start over?"

Sky just nodded, glad that the cruel, vindictive Dave she'd had to contend with during that last day on Pahkitew Island seemed to have faded completely, replaced by the sweet, funny, sort of awkward Dave she'd begun falling for before his elimination. She hoped with all of her heart that this was the Dave that was back for good, hair or no hair.

"I think so," said Sky, leaning in and kissing Dave on the cheek. "How about we go out right now? I'm pretty hungry after all that training..."

"Sure!" Dave replied, his heart quickening as a bit of a spring came into his step. He reached over and took Sky's hand, and the two of them began walking out toward the street, finally picking up where they'd left off on the island.

As Sky and Dave walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, Ella stood on the opposite side of the street, crouching behind a parked car and watching them walk. Though she couldn't help but feel a brief sadness at the thought of Dave choosing another, it quickly subsided, replaced with the warmth she felt whenever she'd gotten to help make someone happy. She smiled, waiting until they were nearly out of sight before standing up and making her way back home, a song once again coming to her as she skipped happily down the sidewalk.

_I'm so glad you're happy now_

_And hope you've found true love_

_I'm sure another prince awaits_

_I'll wish on all the stars above!_

**THE END**


End file.
